I've been playing for quite some time now, but never really a 'competitive battler', so I've been wanting to try out competitive battling and challenge the GBU! Can anyone help me?
;059;

pocketfan09

10th May 2011, 2:47 AM

Competitive battling is comprised of a couple things:
First, EV-trained (effort values) Pokemon can give a big advantage. Basically, by training certain Pokemon, your Pokemon gains a specific point in one area of growth (example: battling a geodude ups defense, jolteon ups speed...). After four points of EV, you're Pokemon will gain an 'extra' point in that stat. Look online for a better explanation (like max EV values, specific Pokemon and their EV points).
Also, breeding for a specific nature is important because it will allow Pokemon to excel in one stat, and lower another it doesn't need. For example, an 'Adamant' fighting Pokemon is perfect because this nature allows for attack to grow faster, and Sp. Attack to grow slower (since fighting moves are mostly physical). There are natures for each combo of stats, and some neutral ones too.
Finally, there are other points that each Pokemon has (called Individual Values, or IVs) which are a bit more complex than IVs. (I personally don't bother with these...) They are values that a Pokemon are born with.
Also, there are different tiers that most battlers have accepted (Uber = Ubers, BL = borderline, OU = Overused, UU = Underused, NU = never used, and NFE = not fully evolved). Many battlers will decide on a tier beforehand, but personally I favor UU and OU pokemon for my team.
So, those are the basics! It may seem a bit confusing, but you can get the hang of it pretty quick. The internet and other Poke-sites can be a huge help too. Also, sorry about all the parentheses (I'm a Bio major, and science <3 parentheses!)